Bret Hedican won’t help but feel a certain tug inside when he steps onto the ice at RBC Center in Raleigh, N.C., on Sunday.

The venue and the city are where Hedican had his longest tenure with any one NHL team, a six-season stint with the Carolina Hurricanes highlighted by the 2006 Stanley Cup championship. Sunday marks his return.

“There’s a lot of emotion going into that game,” Hedican said. “It’s just like anybody leaving this organization after winning the Stanley Cup … I think when you have trust in an organization, a team, you develop a lot of friendships, a lot of bonds there that are going to last forever.”

Hedican remains friends with several Hurricanes, although some of them are no longer with the team. But there are plenty of familiar faces such as Carolina veteran Rod Brind’Amour, who, like Hedican, has two decades of service in the NHL.

Hedican, 38, could have called it quits and had a storybook ending to his career after the 2006 title. But he spent the next two seasons with Carolina and started thinking long-term about his family.

Hedican and his wife, Kristi Yamaguchi, have daughters ages 5 and 3, and they wanted to relocate to California. Hedican did not re-sign with the Hurricanes, but he knows their fans will understand.

“I think the fans know that I played hard every night,” said Hedican, who was recognized for his 1,000th game played on Nov.21 in a pre-game ceremony at Honda Center on Friday.

“I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback from fans there. They’ve always been good to my wife and my kids. I have nothing bad to say about Carolina. It was just one of those situations where I think I’ve got kids old enough to move back West and get them in school. There’s no hard feelings.”

Hedican signed a one-year deal worth $870,500 with the Ducks on Oct.23. He said the late start to the season has been a physical adjustment, and he’s also taken on more responsibility.

When top-four defensemen Francois Beauchemin suffered a torn ACL injury this month, it meant more minutes for the rest of the corps. Hedican, who had been averaging between 13 and 17 minutes of ice time a game, now logs more than 17 regularly.

“I still have a ways to go,” he said. “I’m still not feeling like I’m the player I should be … I’m trying to contribute right now while I’m going through the growing pains of getting back into it.”

Carolina didn’t have plans to recognize Hedican during the game, unlike the brief video tribute the Ducks recently did when former defenseman Ruslan Salei of Colorado returned to Honda Center.

Hedican would appreciate any gestures, but he also wants to stay focused.

“It’s one of those bittersweet things,” he said. “It’s nice to be back there, but I want to get back to business.”